ENGLAND concluded their underwhelming one-day series with a feeble defeat to New Zealand on Saturday and must now weigh up whether to recall Andrew Flintoff for the next assignment.
Hours after Kevin Pietersen experienced a painfully drawn-out defeat by 51 runs in his debut as captain at Lord's, England's selectors were considering the return of all-rounder Flintoff for the four-Test campaign against South Africa.
The s
quad for the first Test is announced on Thursday and all the signs are that the cautionary approach to Flintoff's rehabilitation will continue, which would see the all-rounder given extra action for Lancashire.
The 30-year-old has not suffered discomfort in his left ankle since undergoing a fourth operation last autumn but was scuppered in his bid to return for England earlier this summer by a side strain which ruled him out for six weeks.
"We will meet up and talk about that Test match team but we have to be sure that we're not going to put Andrew Flintoff in jeopardy if we don't think he is bowling-fit," said coach Peter Moores.
"We've taken plenty of time with this latest injury and done it right so far, he's worked hard to get back on the park, and the first job for him is to get out there and play."
The opening match of four at Lord's might therefore come too soon for Flintoff, who has not played a Test for 18 months.
Without his controlled hostility with the ball, England's bowling attack still managed to compete manfully in the 3-1 NatWest Series reverse, and it was dropped catches and another poor batting effort which contributed to a sixth defeat in nine completed one-day internationals against the Black Caps this year.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
